Young Hearts Beat Faster
by Coastal Records
Summary: Angsty one-shots surrounding AUs of the Cobra Kai franchise. OCs and drama, taking prompt requests.
1. A New Path

Chapter One: A New Way.

...

"Parole call! Dutcherson!"

A loud buzzer erupted in the prison when a certain cell door slid open. A bald middle aged man stepped out of, instantly clad in handcuffs by guards, and hurried off to the board.

"Er...Eugene Dutcherson?"

"That's me." Dutch replied in his orange jumpsuit.

"Eugene Dutcherson..." the parole chairman continued, "Do you feel like prison life has rehabilitated you?"

Dutch chuckled from his seat, "Rehabilitated? I've sat in my cell wondering why the world didn't accept assholes like me since day one of highschool. You wondering if one day in my cell I magically woke up as a sunshine and rainbows type of guy? You think people change because some time has passed? Because they want to avoid the consequences? I could spend another seventy years in here and still not change."

There was some silence in the room before Dutch shook his head, "Until I got a letter last week. An old friend of mine died...more like a brother. And god, I love him. I've missed my brothers from Cobra Kai...more than anything else outside of this place. Jimmy, Bobby, Johnny, and Tommy. I'd give anything and do anything to see them again. Wherever they are, even if they've changed. I want to see them."

Dutch looked up from the ground right into the chairman's eyes, "I used to think that if the world was shitty to you that you should be shitty back. Prison didn't teach me to change to that. Being in prison and missing Tommy's death did. And I'll never make that mistake again if it stops me from seeing my brothers again. But to be honest, as badly as I want to see them, it's bullshit anyway. The world's gone mediocre, polarized, tribal, and PC...so if you want me to see my friends again or not, doesn't really matter to me all that much."

"Because frankly, I don't give a damn."

The chairman looked to the other members of the parole board, before stamping 'Approved' on Dutch's case.

...

Dutch walked out of the prison surprised out of his mind, "J-Johnny?"

"Hey Dutch, how's it going?"

"Heeyyy!" Dutch went in to hug his brother, "Holy shit man I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Me too, why'd you lose the hair?" Johnny asked.

Dutch waved a hand, "Forget the hair let's drive."

"Damn," Dutch saw Johnny's Cobra-Mobile, "What in god's name is this?"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

As they drove past trees Dutch asked a question, "So where've you been all this time? What happened?"

"My er, kid, Robby. He put a student of mine the hospital."

"Student?" Dutch raised his eyebrows as Johnny drove, "Johnny you didn't-"

"I did. Big mistake." Johnny said, "Now Kreese's taken over my dojo, my students...my son's on the run from the cops for fear of manslaughter, in case the kid dies. Name's Miguel, great kid..."

Dutch frowned, "What's wrong man?"

"I." Johnny sniffled, "I fucked up man. Badly."

"How?"

"There was this one night where these asswipes pushed Miguel on the roof of my car. I got involved, reopened Cobra Kai, and wouldn't you know it, the kid is in the hospital with a broken neck."

Dutch leaned back in his seat, "Shiiit."

Johnny pulled into the cemetery and Johnny lead Dutch to Tommy's grave.

"He's, he's really dead huh?"

Johnny nodded sorrowfully as Dutch knelt and put a hand on Tommy's grave, "I feel awful, I know there was nothing I could've done but-"

"You just had no other options." Johnny nodded, "Yeah, I know how that feels."

"So." Dutch stood up, "As much as I wouldn't want my parole officer finding out, let's round up the boys and beat Kreese to the pulp." He patted Johnny's shoulder as he walked toward the car, "Come on man."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

Johnny sighed, "He has the kids with him. I'm sure he's smart enough to make sure we can't get to him."

"But he won't know we're coming, we can-"

"Dutch. I'm done fighting for a while."

"What the hell happened to you?" Dutch shook his head in disbelief, "How could you be like this?"

Johnny sniffled again, "Everything man, it broke me. My kid could go to jail, maybe even for life. Kreese took away all I had left. The only student I thought I had that was loyal to me is in the hospital, maybe dying. My life's fucked Dutch...I'm fucked." Johnny sniffled again as he placed his face in his hands.

Dutch slapped Johnny in front of Tommy's grave.

"Hey man what the hell!" Johnny yelled through his tears.

"Wh-What is this bullshit?" He imitated a sobbing Johnny, " 'I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!' What's the matter with you!? Wanna know how to fix this!? You can act like a man! Do you ever back down from a fight?"

"N-No." Johnny mumbled.

"Do you ever accept defeat!?" Dutch started sounding like Kreese.

"N-No." Johnny said, wiping aside his tears.

"Do you ever stop fighting!?"

"No!" Johnny yelled back.

"We can win Johnny..." Dutch started nodding slowly to encourage his broken friend, "I just got outta the slammer for fifteen years John, and I'm more hopeful than you? Look at yourself!...this, this is not the Johnny Lawrence I know." Dutch grabbed Johnny's face and growled, "Put yourself together man. Or I swear to god I'll beat your ass."

Johnny stayed silent for a second, before laughing at his brother, "You haven't changed since high school."

Dutch laughed and pushed Johnny away, "Okay look, you're weak."

"You seriou-"

"If you weren't, why didn't you beat Kreese's ass when he took the dojo?"

"The kids stopped me, I wasn't gonna fight them."

Dutch tilted his head, "Then you gotta find the right time. And you gotta be ready."

"What do you mean?" Johnny wondered.

"We're heading out to Denver together, gotta buddy of mine who runs a great boxing gym. We're not coming back out until I'm sure you're damn ready. And it sure as shit isn't now."

"I could take you."

Dutch motioned toward himself, showing off the incredible tone he built after years in jail.

"Right...wait, couldn't you beat up Kreese for me?"

"Not my fight. You might be my boy, but it's your dojo you're fighting for remember?"

Johnny remembered something, "Fair point. Denver...why Denver?"

"It's where the gym moved man. Might be cold, but it's a damn nice place to train."

Johnny started nodding, "Okay Dutch. Let's go back."

As they drove again toward Denver, Johnny started laughing on their drive, "We went out to a bar on bikes like old times, fuck, you would've loved it man. We went camping, drinking, there were hot babes. A bar fight! Tommy went out with one last ride with us, and I really think you missed out."

"I would've given anything to have been there. What was the last thing he told you man?"

Johnny smiled, "That I still had time."

"Time for what?"

"To find the right babe." Johnny remembered the place they were heading toward, and what would lay at the end.

He had a new purpose. Set everything right, no matter what it took.

...


	2. Update

Yes I'm still alive, just trying to keep writing for Cobra Kai over on AO3 under 'VaporwaveFan', please go check it out!


	3. A Snake in the Grass

Chapter One: Snake in the Grass.

~0~

This was pretty ridiculous. Most guys David would know would kill to be in his position but he wasn't even wanting to. Three minutes before now he was getting complimented on reaching black belt at Cobra Kai and the next he was making out with Moon and Yasmine, the hottest girls in his grade. David didn't know if it was the weed they just smoked in Moon's room that made it feel off, but it just wasn't there.

All it took was Moon absentmindedly placing her hand on David's crotch before she realized he wasn't really into it currently.

"Oh." Moon broke off from David's lips.

The music from downstairs started blaring louder in David's ears, the heat from the bedroom was wearing off in every way as he felt the need to start sweating.

Moon smiled at Yasmine as she sat on the other side of him. "What is it?" the blonde asked. Yasmine was looking at David with bunched eyebrows.

David looked back at her. All the mean comments she left Aisha, all the times Yasmine acted brashly and David shut his mouth just for this moment. And it wasn't worth it right?

David gulped, hoping to leave before being embarrassed.

"Shit, Dave you do know it takes a second. Or, it could be the Indica." Moon looked at the joint that was put off in the ashtray in her room before back at the new black belt. "Might be making it-"

"Sorry." David felt more jittery as Yasmine was looking at him confusedly, "I g-gotta go."

David picked up the jacket from the floor Yasmine took off him before leaving as quickly as he could, nearly sprinting down the stairs as Kyler chuckled at the bottom of the stairs with a beer in his hand. "Down so soon man? What happened?"

David walked past his fellow Cobra Kai without so much as a glance.

Samantha and Robby stopped kissing on Moon's couch as David flew past them hurriedly when Robby opened his eyes for a moment to see David run off. "Hey, David where you going?"

David ran past everyone else in the party nervously to his car. He opened the driver's side door and got in shaking his head and hitting his temple. "Fuck, can I drive or not?" he asked himself rhetorically.

He looked to the front door of Moon's house, seeing her and Yasmine leave suddenly before turning to each other and talking. Then, it all started. Like bees in David's head, buzzing in a swarm, he couldn't stop wondering what they were saying about him.

Yasmine said something to Moon that made her laugh as they looked at David sit in his car. And that was it. Like a horse breaking off from the starting line, David turned on the engine to his Hyundai and gunned it away.

As he drove away the light's passed over him and his car. It was close to midnight, he had no idea where in Encino he was, and worst of all, he seriously embarrassed himself in front of his friends.

"Think Mills think!" David said to himself as he drove past unfamiliar homes. He braked over the stop line, reacting very late. "Shit!" he hit his steering wheel much weaker than he could've.

His muscles were not reacting well at all. He could easily get into an accident and he knew it.

"I'm so goddamn stupid!"

David took a deep breath in, pulling over in front of a small park in the middle of Moon's neighborhood. He got out and took a deep breath, thinking as he walked to the play structure.

 _'Okay, Mom and Dad are gonna beat my ass if they know I got high, and I can't even drive home for a few hours until this shit wears off. It's gonna be too awkward for Rob or any of the guys to come pick me up. Just call Mom, tell your parents. Tell your parents!'_

David shook his head as he sat down on the play structure taking out his phone. He sighed, anyone he could reliably say was his friend was still back at the party.

 _'Think man, who do you know that isn't at the party.'_

His thumb stopped at a Snapchat username.

 _'Aisha Robinson? Dude, she'd never help you out.'_

 _'Call her up anyway!'_

David used the call function for Snapchat to phone Aisha.

The spectacled girl was sitting in her bedroom bored as her parent's dinner party winded down, raising an eyebrow seeing David calling her. Answering the call, Aisha spoke slowly. "Hello?"

David sighed as he tapped the metal the play structure was made out of. "H-Hey Aisha how're you?"

Aisha looked around her room biting her lip. "Fiiine? Why?"

"Listen." David rubbed his temple and closed his eyes. "I need a favor right now."

"You, need a favor from me."

He nodded. "Yeah I know I don't deserve it. I know you have no reason to help me, but I need you to pick me up at." David squinted at the sign of the park. "Moselby Park?"

"You want me to drive towards Sherman Oaks in the middle of the night just to pick you up?" Aisha asked.

"I'll...make it up to I swear. I'll take care of the bio project we got together." David pleaded.

"I've known you for five years and the only time you hit me up is to wonder if I'll do a favor for you?" Aisha scoffed. "Would you have even taken my Snap if we didn't have a group project?"

David gulped. "Probably not." He looked up at the night's sky. "But not because I didn't want to. Can you just come get me?"

"What? Are you drunk or something? Or did your car break down? Can't you just Uber home?"

"I can't, I told my parents I was staying at Kyler's." David closed his eyes and shook his head. "I need a place to stay."

Aisha raised an eyebrow again. "So?"

"So, I can't really talk to Kyler right now, or any of them." David chuckled and scratched the top of his head.

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you okay? Just come get me." David said.

"Fine, but you better finish that bio thing on your own." Aisha hung up as David gave a sigh of relief, sighing quietly.

David looked down at his lap, "This can't wear off and slower. God, this was a bad idea."

Aisha closed the door to her car as David approached from the play structure.

"Hey." David said with a gladdened smile.

"Hey." Aisha said with a strained one.

"Thanks for coming to get me. This shit just isn't wearing off at all." David shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Are you high?"

David nodded. "Yeah, Moon's stuff was pretty strong. Can we just go please?"

"You can't stay at my place."

"Why not?"

Aisha crossed her arms. "My parent's are having a dinner party. They'd call your folks instantly."

"Shiiit!" David hissed and shook his head.

As David turned away Aisha asked another question. "Why can't Robby drive you?"

"I can't talk to any of them right now." David pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Where else would you go?" Aisha asked.

David's eyes lit up. "Can't believe I didn't think of it. My Sensei's place."

"Okay, where does he live?" Aisha kept crossing her arms.

"Ummm…" David rubbed the skin above his eyebrow and winced embarrassingly. "Reseda?"

"You want me to drive you to Reseda now?" Aisha's eye widened.

"I know I know, just promise to not tell my parents all right?" David asked.

Aisha sighed and tilted her head toward her car. "Yes!" David smiled and entered Aisha's car on the passenger side, leaving David's car behind.

"Lock it genius." Aisha saw the car she parked in front of in her rear view. David did so as Aisha started up her engine.

Aisha pulled towards Reseda from the park as she decided to ask David something. "So, how is it?"

"What, the weed?"

Aisha shook her head. "No, having friends?"

David exhaled loudly as he stared off into the passenger side window. "Pretty bad. Robby's cool, but Brucks, Kyler, and especially Hawk are real assholes. If I'm honest I only get along really well with Robby. Moon is a stuck up hippy and Yasmine's worse."

"So you hate all of your friends?"

"Sam's in the same position I am. She's the only real person who hangs out with all of them." David breathed in tightly. "Wish I had better friends to be honest."

"Why do you put up with them?"

"I don't know. Sensei said something about 'Cobras sticking together' and I always agree. He's cool."

Aisha's tone changed. "Not cool enough to teach you guys respect."

"Me? You don't think I'm respectful?"

Aisha looked at him as she stopped at the light.

"Right. Making you do all this when I'm not even your friend." David raised a hand. "What about Miguel and Demitri? Don't you get along?"

"Yeah, but I'm talking about friends that are girls. Sam ghosted me ever since she started going out with Robby and hanging out with you guys." Aisha frowned.

"I'd hang out with you. You're pretty cute Aisha."

"Shut up Schwarber." Aisha snickered in embarrassment and hid her smile before the light turned green. "Where in Reseda does your Karate guy live?"

"Sensei." David corrected as he drew his phone. "And I'm gonna call him now, forgot to find out where exactly."

Putting his beer down to answer his flip phone watching some TV, Johnny wondered why anyone was calling him so late.

"Hello?" Johnny asked confusedly.

"Hey Sensei."

"Mills?" Johnny picked up his Coors Banquet as he stood up more on his couch. "The hell are you calling so late for?"

"Yeah I was at the party Moon and the guys threw for me tonight. Can I crash at your place tonight?"

"What?" Johnny finished his bottle and instantly went to the fridge for another. "Just stay at Squints or Chunks'. What's the big deal?"

David groaned. "I can't get into it right now. I embarrassed myself at the party okay?"

"Whatchu puke or somethin'?" Johnny asked.

"No, I got high and-a friend's driving me." he smiled at Aisha who smiled back, although half heartedly. "Just text me the address?"

"Text you?" Johnny sipped his Coors. "It's 5601 Sierra Park Way Mills, Unit 2."

"Thanks Sensei."

"No prob." Johnny snapped his phone shut.

Aisha made a left turn hearing David's instruction. "Go towards Green and Lincoln."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah he's cool with it like I thought."

Aisha chuckled. "Nice."

"Hey Aisha, I really appreciate this." David felt himself sink a bit for a moment from the weed.

"I'm just glad I can make a new friend." Aisha shrugged as David chuckled.

Aisha pulled up to Johnny's home not a moment afterward as David looked over to the apartment complex.

"Is this it?" Aisha looked too.

David nodded slowly. "Probably." David turned back to Aisha who was smiling at him. "Thank you so much."

She chuckled. "It's no problem at all." she extended her arms dorkishly. "Friend hug?"

David shook his head with a smirk. "Nah."

Aisha couldn't help but blush and smile when David leaned out of his seat to peck her on the cheek. "You're super cool Aisha, see ya round." David winked and left Aisha's car with a stumble.

Aisha laughed loud enough when seeing this to make David nod and smile embarrassingly. She drove away as David walked to Johnny's apartment. He searched a bit for the door that read '2' before finding it and rapping his knuckle on it.

Johnny answered the door looking at David up and down. "You okay Mills?"

"Just fine Sensei. Can I come in?"

"Sure thing," David closed the door behind him as Johnny stepped away from the door. "Wanna beer?" he asked as David looked around Johnny's mess of an apartment.

"Fuck it why not?" David shrugged with a smile as Johnny got two Banquets from his fridge. "Take a seat on the couch."

"Uh-yes Sensei?" David felt awkward for the first time saying this as he did so.

"These are the last two so cherish them." the blonde Karateka said as he sat down next to Johnny who changed the channel on the TV and passed David the beer.

"Cheers." They clinked them together and David sipped it with a cough.

"Come on…" Johnny watched David struggle to swallow it. "You've had stronger stuff before for sure."

"Yeah but-" David winced. "It just tastes so shitty."

Johnny chuckled despite his favorite drink being insulted. "So, tell me everything that happened."

David took another sip before turning from his Sensei and watching the crappy old TV set Johnny had. "So, I passed my test this morning after school at the dojo and Robby's like 'Let's go to Moon's place and celebrate.' "

"Right." Johnny nodded and started finishing his fifth beer for the night.

"Like a few hours later, everything's going fine, and Moon mentions she bought some new pot. And she tells me 'Hey let's go try it.' Yasmine tags along with us, and we go up to her room to smoke up."

Liking where the story was going, Johnny smiled and nodded listening attentively to his student.

"So none of it hit me at first, and then, yeah." Johnny watched David chuckle really nervously. "We start making out together the three of us. Then, oh god, then." David sipped his beer. "Then it kicks in and I really feel it. Moon...puts her hand on my junk and yeah. I wasn't ready for her yet."

"What? Nothing at all?" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise.

"Not exactly but still. Moon realizes it, I start getting more nervous, and I started looking at Yasmine in a whole new way, and I saw screw it, and I book. The whole party." David shrugged.

Johnny cringes and put his empty Banquet on his coffee table. "Ooh. Rough night Mills."

"Yeah, I hit up Aisha, she takes me here. And yeah."

"Who is this Aisha girl?" Johnny looked to the door. "She just drop you off?"

"Yeah, she's really cool. Kyler picks on her sometimes with Yasmine."

"Picks on her? A chick?" Johnny's interest spiked.

David nodded and finished his beer. "Yeah big time. We just don't let you know."

Johnny sighed. "I don't know what I'm gonna say. I understand throwing jabs here and there but a girl? You don't do that."

David knew better than to criticize Johnny's teaching after years of attending Cobra Kai so he just put his beer down.

Johnny's blue eyes moved between David and the beer he finished. "This reminds me of something. About a month after I won my second All Valley in '83, we were partying just like you were, and back then, weed was kinda-" Johnny shook his head from side to side as David gained interest. "Different. Anyway, this is the first time I got high."

"Really?"

Johnny nodded. "Oh yeah. So Bobby actually landed a date with this one babe at our school, so we decided hey, why not celebrate at Jimmy's like always? Dutch." Johnny laughs and looks down before looking at David. "Dutch brings along a bag of stuff we haven't seen in our lives and he says his uncle gave it to him. We smoke it and we get so baked-" Johnny laughed at his own story again. "We get so baked Bobby crashes his bike into some ladies garage, shreds the whole door down."

David bursts out laughing. "Are you serious? Was he okay?"

"He was fine yeah, but this old lady comes out of her house to yell at us, saying she'd call the cops and we get out of there, yeah we book it probably faster than you did."

David had himself a great chuckle with his Sensei. "Wow, I thought my first time was bad."

"That was your first time smoking?"

"Yeah, for sure."

Johnny sighed as he stopped smiling, cutting David's mood too. "I'll be honest Mills. I'm disappointed in you."

"F-For not going all the way?"

"No, no, no way. I had trouble with girls when I was high too back in the day. Sometimes they really wanted to, sometimes I really wanted to but they didn't. Either way, when you're young I get it, you make quick decisions." Johnny tilted his head slightly to David who nodded. "But I'm really wondering why you left the whole party. Your boys," Johnny put his hand on David's shoulder who looked down from Johnny's gaze. "Kyler, Robby. They aren't just your pals from Karate. They're your family. You can't just run away from them afraid of what they might think. They will always have your back. Trust me."

"S-Sensei, I don't know how to tell you this but." David still couldn't make eye contact with Johnny. "I feel disconnected from them. All the time. Like, like I feel they shouldn't be my friends."

"I get it. Hawk can be a pain, sometimes-"

"No Sensei, all of them but Robby."

"Really?" Johnny stood up off the couch. "Well you just gotta talk to them. They're your brothers. They'll get it."

"Thanks Sensei. F-For everything." David started drifting off.

Johnny noticed this. "I'll go get you a blanket or something."

When Johnny brought it back he tossed it on his student and walked to the light to flick it off. Before he left he cleared his throat. "Yeah sleep tight kid."

"Night Sensei."

Johnny turned around and before he could leave David spoke out. "Sensei, did you ever rely on your Sensei like this?"

Johnny looked at David who was resting his head to sleep underneath the blanket. "A couple times yeah."

"Where is he now?" David wondered.

Johnny's gaze wandered. "I don't know Mills."

David turned over on his pillow. "Night."

Johnny left to his bedroom wondering about what David said. _'Where exactly is Kreese after all this time? Is he still alive?'_

~0~


End file.
